4 Takeaways From the Hearing on Dismissing Charges Against Eric Adams

A federal judge on Wednesday afternoon questioned Mayor Eric Adams of New York, Mr. Adams’s lawyer and a top Justice Department official over the department’s decision to seek the dismissal of corruption charges against Mr. Adams.

It was the latest episode in a legal saga that has led to resignations of prosecutors and city officials and calls for the mayor to be removed from office.

For a hearing on a request that has roiled New York’s political and legal communities, the proceedings on Wednesday were surprisingly tame. For 90 minutes, the judge, Dale E. Ho, methodically examined the rationale of the Justice Department official, Acting Attorney General Emil Bove III, for requesting to dismiss the charges without prejudice (which means they could be brought again in the future). He also sought to establish that Mr. Adams had knowingly consented to the government’s motion.

Mr. Adams was indicted in September on charges of bribery, fraud, soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions and conspiracy as part of a scheme involving the Turkish government. On Wednesday, Mr. Bove argued that dismissing the case was “a standard exercise of prosecutorial discretion,” and that Mr. Adams’s indictment had negatively affected the “national security and immigration objectives” of President Trump.

Here are four takeaways from the hearing:

Mr. Adams appeared confident in court.

The mayor was jeered on Wednesday when he arrived at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. A small crowd of protesters chanted “We don’t need a MAGA mayor — Adams out now!” But Mr. Adams, smiling, strode past them, flashing a thumbs up.

Inside the courtroom, he projected a similar calm as Judge Ho asked questions related to allegations that the Justice Department was seeking to drop the charges in exchange for his cooperation with Mr. Trump’s immigration policies — which have set off a crisis of confidence about Mr. Adams’s independence. The mayor told the judge under oath that he had not been coerced or made a deal with prosecutors. He also confirmed that he understood that the Justice Department could revive the case against him.